Former music teacher at DeLaSalle High School charged with sexually assaulting student

A former music teacher at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis is criminally charged on allegations of sexual misconduct with an underage student.

Daniel James Felton, 31, is accused of using his position of authority carry out the assaults over a period of several months in 2022. He faces one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, court records show.

A criminal complaint states Felton was the teen victim’s band and choir teacher during her junior and senior years. In April 2022, he started messaging the girl on social media.

“At first, the messages appeared harmless and that he was offering support,” the complaint states. “However, at some point, the defendant’s messages turned sexual.”

On one occasion, Felton offered to drive the girl home after a concert. Instead of taking her right home, he pulled into an empty parking lot and touched her in a “sexual manner.”

The victim told investigators the assaults continued over the next few months and usually happened in Felton’s car, according to the complaint.

She also turned over Instagram messages between Felton and the victim in which he describes sexual acts.

Felton was charged via summons and is not in police custody. His first court appearance is set for Sept. 3.

The victim’s family is also pursuing civil damages against Felton and the school. A lawsuit filed back in February accuses DeLaSalle of negligent hiring practices and failing to protect its students.

In a statement, DeLaSalle High School said it “was not aware of these allegations at any time when either the student attended the school or when DeLaSalle employed Felton.”

“As soon as we learned of the allegation, the school immediately reported this to the Minneapolis Police Department,” the school said. “We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this process moves forward.”

Felton was hired at DeLaSalle in 2020 and left in summer 2022. The school said he passed a “comprehensive criminal background check” which did not find any prior criminal violations.